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Thursday, June 3, 2010

TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD


Have loved this one since I was a kid. It’s a modern story, with Tarzan being well educated (unlike as in the early movies). This is more in keeping with what creator Edgar Rice Burroughs had in mind as he was writing the books.

Football great Mike Henry takes his first of two turns here as Tarzan (the second film was TARZAN AND THE GREAT RIVER).

From what I remember of the movie, this one is sort of like James Bond in a jungle setting. It has deft action sequences, a beautiful girl who needs rescuing and a psychotic villain who has a killing machine-type bodyguard.

To my knowledge, this one is not on DVD and never was on VHS. I only got to see this one again some years when AMC ran a Tarzan Movie Marathon, hosted by Brendan Fraser who was promoting his live-action comedy, GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE. Hoping that it will hit DVD one of these days.

Mike Henry wound up suing the production company after his face was injured when Cheeta bit him. I don’t know how it was resolved, but he never played Tarzan again.

Mr. Henry went on to be in a couple of those SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT films, playing Junior, the dimwitted son of Sheriff Buford T. Justice.

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